This introduction covers Setting the Scene within The Plague of 1665 for GCSE History. Revise The Plague of 1665 in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 1 of 16 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

📖 Setting the Scene

"Bring out your dead!" The cry echoed through London's streets as plague carts collected bodies each night. By September 1665, over 7,000 Londoners were dying every week. The Bills of Mortality (weekly official lists recording deaths in each London parish) made grim reading. Red crosses marked infected houses with "Lord have mercy upon us." The rich fled to the countryside. The poor were locked in their homes to die. Charles and his court moved to Oxford. When it was over, about 100,000 Londoners were dead — a quarter of the population. But was the government's response effective, or did it make things worse?

▶ The Great Plague of 1665 - History Matters (4 mins)

Practice questions for The Plague of 1665

What bacterium caused the bubonic plague that devastated London in 1665?

A. Yersinia pestis
B. Streptococcus pyogenes
C. Bacillus anthracis
D. Clostridium perfringens

1 markfoundation

Approximately how many people died in London during the Great Plague of 1665?

A. Around 25,000 (about 5% of London's population)
B. Around 100,000 (about 25% of London's population)
C. Around 250,000 (about 60% of London's population)
D. Around 500,000 (over 100% of London's population)

1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

What were buboes?

Swollen, blackened lymph nodes (usually in groin, armpits, or neck) — the characteristic symptom of bubonic plague. The appearance of buboes triggered house quarantine. Death typically followed within 2-5 days; mortality without treatment was 60-70%.

What was miasma theory?

The dominant 17th-century belief that plague was caused by 'bad air' (miasma) from rotting matter. Led to useless responses: bonfires to purify air, posies of flowers, fumigation. The theory was completely wrong — plague was bacterial, spread by fleas on rats.

Setting the Scene